ST. LOUIS, Mo. – The last time manager Mike Matheny watched the umpires huddle to make a decision was Game 1 of the World Series. It did not work out well for his Cardinals as they lost an out in the first inning and Boston went on to score three runs on the way to a 8-1 victory.

So when the umpires huddled again Saturday night in the crazed moments following the Cardinals' apparent 5-4 victory In Game 3, Matheny prepared himself for the worst.

“I think our fans didn’t even know what to do,” said Matheny. “We were waiting to celebrate, but we see a guy laying there (Allen Craig at home plate) and it’s all confusing.

“Then we see the umpires come together and that didn’t work out so well for us the last time. “

This time the umpires’ decision came down on the St. Louis side. They ruled that Boston third baseman Will Middlebrooks obstructed Allen Craig at third base as he attempted to come home, which gave Craig home plate even though catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia tagged him before he got there.

“We were all kind of cautiously celebrating,” said Matheny. “Then we get inside the clubhouse and the mood was still kind of somber. And Chris Carpenter yelled out real loud, “Hey, boys we just won a World Series game.’ So that changed it a little bit.”

While it took the Cardinals a while to realize they’d actually taken a 2-1 Series lead, the mood of Boston manager John Farrell did not have such a uptick of emotion. He didn’t sleep much and was still stewing about it Sunday afternoon when he talked to reporters.

Farrell had no trouble with the obstruction call made by third base umpire Jim Joyce. He felt the umpires followed the rules, but he added that the rule should allow for intent because it did not appear that Millbrooks intentionally kept Craig from continuing to home.

“When Will Middlebrooks is lying on his stomach, it’s hard to say that he was intending to impede the runner’s progress,” said Farrell. “So the way the obstruction rule is set up right now, the baserunner can be the aggressor and beneficiary on both sides. They can seek out an infielder, run into him, and benefit by advancing.

“So Saturday when there’s no intent, given the heightened importance of the game, you’d like to see the Type B portion (section) of that rule addressed.”

In section 7:06 of the baseball rulebook, section B says, in part, “when the ball is not dead on obstruction and a obstructed runner advances beyond the base which, in the umpire’s judgment, he would have been awarded because of being obstructed, he does so at his own peril and may be tagged out. This is a judgment call.”

If that part of the obstruction rule had been enforced, Craig would have been out at the plate and the game would have entered extra innings.

What gives? After letting reliever Brandon Workman bat in the ninth inning Saturday with the score tied, 4-4, Farrell second-guessed himself for not using a double switch with catcher David Ross.

On Sunday he said, ”We had Workman at the plate rather than David Ross against Trevor Rosenthal, who was throwing 100 mph. I wish someone could guarantee a different outcome based on who’s at the plate.”

Farrell said he wanted to get three innings out of Workman and Koji Uehara. Workman threw a scoreless eighth and that’s why he sent him out in the ninth.

“We need three innings out of those two,” said Farrell. “Unfortunately, how we got there, was with Workman at the plate.”

What about pinch-hitting Mike Napoli for Workman in the ninth?

“I wasn’t going to pinch hit for Workman with no guarantee that Napoli drives one out of the ballpark,” said Farrell.

Lineup change: Left fielder Shane Victorino was scratched from Boston’s lineup for Game 4. Daniel Nava moved from left field to right to replace him and Jonny Gomes went into the lineup in left.

Lost in the shuffle: Two excellent defensive plays were lost in the last play of Saturday’s game.

The Red Sox, with one out in the ninth, Yadier Molina on third and Craig on second following his pinch-hit double, pulled the infield in. John Jay sent a hard shot to the right of second baseman Dustin Pedroia, who made a diving stop and threw out Molina at the plate.

That’s when the madness began as Saltalamacchia threw wildly past third in an effort to get Craig. The second great play in that sequence came when Nava rushed over from left field, retrieved the ball and threw out Craig at the plate.

Of course, it didn’t count.

Another question: With first base open, Farrell could have intentionally walked Jay and faced weak-hitting shortstop Pete Kozma with the bases loaded.

When asked about pitching to Jay, Farrell said he thought Uehara could strike Jay out.

“Koji has bee a strikeout pitcher regardless if whether there’s a right or left-handed hitter at the plate, “ said Farrell. “We intentionally walked Carlos Beltran (eighth inning), but it didn’t load the bases. I didn’t want to load the bases and back Koji into a corner.”

Finally: Statistically the Cardinals are in good shape after winning Game 3. The team that takes a 2-1 lead in a series that was tied 1-1 has won the series 10 times over the last 14 times it has happened since 2000.

Follow Us

cleveland.com is powered by Plain Dealer Publishing Co. and Northeast Ohio Media Group. All rights reserved (About Us).The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Northeast Ohio Media Group LLC.